On 12 July 2011 EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding published
a statement on the way forward for collective redress at EU
level. The statement follows a consultation by the Commission
in February 2011 to identify common legal principles relating to
collective redress in order to develop a coherent European approach
(see issue
508 of Community Week).
The Commission has identified three main options:
- take no further action on the basis that the arguments in
favour of EU level action are not compelling;
- encourage developments in Member States by issuing a
Recommendation; or
- take legislative action either as a sectoral initiative or as a
horizontal instrument.
As the collective redress initiative applies to a broad
diversity of areas, ranging from antitrust to environment, the
project is being lead by three Commission departments: those for
justice, competition and consumer affairs.
